A CREATIVE Darlington mother-of-two is celebrating three years of teaching toddlers and children the art of being artistic.

Shirley Gray launched ARTventurers in January 2014 in a bid to get youngsters into arts and crafts from an early age.

The art classes and workshops for babies, toddlers and pre-school age children, have been running every weekend since Ms Gray set up her business in Darlington and Middlesbrough.

The entrepreneur marked her third anniversary in the job on Tuesday, January 17, and hosted a creative class for families on

Ms Gray said: “I’m delighted that the ARTventurers Tees Valley classes have reached our third year milestone and to share my creativity with local families.

“Our mission is to help every artist explore, experiment, discover and express their hidden and vibrant talents from a young age.

“Participation in art significantly improves a child’s learning and development potential while adults enjoy a reduction in stress from the sheer fun of being creative and more importantly, we clean up the mess.”

Ms Gray will host a Frozen-themed family art class between 9.30am and 10.30am in Middlesbrough’s Marton Community Centre, off Cypress Road, on Saturday, February 18.

The class will then be held in Darlington’s Willow Road Community Centre, between 10am and 11am on Sunday, February 19.

For more information, visit artventurers.co.uk/tees